On Sunday 25 October I went out with the XP ICON X together with our influencers: Erwin, Nina, Feike, Willem and Elise. And of course Sky, the dog, came along too. No test setup with tape measures and test targets, just a detecting day like the ones you have. What stuck with us most afterwards? How little we had to touch the settings, how light it is, how clear it sounds and how well it performed along the way.

No endless tweaking, just start detecting

Modern detectors let you adjust an enormous amount. Great if you enjoy that, but on a detecting day you mostly want to detect. With the ICON X that came naturally: switch on, pick a factory program and head into the field. We didn't have to keep going back into the menu.

That kept our attention where it belongs: on the signals and on what's under the coil. For us, that may well have been the biggest plus of the day.

Who came along?

This day was organised by Elise. We talk online a lot, but actually meeting up and sharing our passion for the hobby is of course much more fun. Elise had everything perfectly arranged: we ate and drank together, and the whole day simply ran smoothly. Thanks, Elise!

Erwin joined us too, along with three of our Detect ambassadors. You may already know them from their own channels:

• Feike from Shockwave Metaaldetectie takes you along on YouTube for his detecting days and special finds.
• Nina (nina0548x) has been detecting since she was ten and loves digging into the history behind a find, especially from the Second World War.
• Willem (XPDetectingNL) has more than twenty years of experience and often starts with historical research before he even heads into the field.

So light you just keep going

What surprised me most personally was the weight. I have honestly never detected with such a light detector. Perfect! You can keep going for a long time without having to stop.

Over a full detecting day, that really adds up. The ICON X is ultralight, the shaft is telescopic so you can set it to your own height, and because everything is wireless there's no cable between detector and headphones getting in the way. So you're mostly busy walking, swinging and listening.

My kit, and the Deus II came along too

I used the ICON X together with the wireless WSA ST headphones (ICON X with WSA ST), the XP MI-6 pinpointer and the Detect Carbon One spade.

The XP Deus II was also used that day, but the focus was mainly on the ICON X. Nice to notice: the detectors didn't interfere with each other. Torn between the two? Then read XP DEUS II vs XP ICON X

And the finds?

After the morning we laid everything out on the table, still covered in soil. And over the whole day there really was all sorts in there: a 5-guilder coin, an ordinary guilder, duits (old Dutch copper coins), pieces of lead, small seals and buckles.

That's part of the hobby: you never know what the next signal will bring. Sometimes it's something small, sometimes lettering suddenly appears from under the soil. Like this Dutch bicycle tax plate from 1938: after some careful brushing, the year was readable again.

A musket ball from more than 30 centimetres

The moment of the day for me was the musket ball in the photo. It was more than 30 centimetres deep, and I hadn't set anything: switch on and go. I found that amazing.

What struck me most were the tones. They are very clear, and you can also hear whether something is deeper. It's exactly those small differences in tone that matter. The target IDs are handy, but you don't really need them: you just hear whether you should dig. Of course you still have to walk the field yourself, but this detector makes it very clear for you.

One note: this is one find on one day, not a controlled depth test. How deep a detector picks something up depends on, among other things, the size and metal of the object, the soil, the coil and the settings.

Why the ICON X is so easy to use

The ICON X is a light, wireless detector with XP's FMF technology, which searches on multiple frequencies at the same time. It has six factory programs and six slots for your own programs. So you can start straight away, and fine-tune later if you feel like it. Already own a Deus II? Coils, headphones and accessories are interchangeable, and the ICON X is waterproof to 5 metres.

In our view, that combination makes it interesting for beginners, but also for detectorists with more experience who simply want a detector that doesn't get in the way. You'll find the differences with the standard version in XP ICON vs ICON X.

Heading out with the ICON X yourself? Our tips

• Start with a factory program. That's how we detected too, and it worked right away. You can always fine-tune later.
• Listen to the tones. The target ID is handy, but the sound usually already tells you whether to dig.
• Bring a pinpointer. The XP MI-6 works together with the ICON X and saves a lot of searching in the hole.
• Clean finds carefully. On the bicycle tax plate, the year only became readable after gentle brushing.
• Only detect where it's allowed. Always ask the landowner for permission and check the rules in your country or region, including how to report special finds.

Our conclusion

And apart from the detector: it was simply a really great day outdoors, the six of us, perfectly organised by Elise. When you see all the finds of the day laid out together, you remember exactly why you love this hobby.

Curious whether the ICON X suits the way you detect? Check it out online or visit our showroom in Almelo (the Netherlands). There you can hold it, try it out, and we're happy to help you choose.

View the XP ICON X → ICON or ICON X? The differences →

Frequently asked questions

Do you need to set up the XP ICON X extensively before you can start detecting?

No. You pick one of the six factory programs and you're ready to go. There's much more you can adjust, but during our detecting day we didn't have to keep going into the menu.

How deep does the XP ICON X detect?

During our detecting day we recovered a musket ball from more than 30 centimetres deep, without changing any settings. That's a field experience, not a measured maximum: depth depends on the object, the soil, the coil and the settings.

Do you need the target ID to know whether to dig?

Handy, but not necessary. The ICON X's tones are so clear that you usually just hear whether to dig. You can also hear well whether something is deeper.

Is the XP ICON X light enough for a full day of detecting?

That was our experience. Mathijs had never detected with such a light detector and kept going for a long time without needing to stop.

Do the XP ICON X and the XP Deus II interfere with each other?

Not on our detecting day. Both detectors were used and they didn't interfere with each other.

Is the XP ICON X suitable for beginners?

Yes, thanks to the clear controls and factory programs you can get started quickly. If you want more later, there are plenty of settings to experiment with.

By Mathijs, Detect Metaaldetectors · 25 October 2026. This is a report of a recreational detecting day, not a controlled or comparative test. Technical data comes from XP's product information.